03-12-2020

FNE at Gdynia Polish FF 2020: Zieja

By
    Jan Zieja Jan Zieja

    GDYNIA: Zieja, Robert Gliński’s wartime drama about the legendary Warsaw priest Jan Zieja, with Andrzej Seweryn starring in the lead role, screens in the main competition of the Gdynia Polish Film Festival, taking place online 8 – 12 December 2020.

    Zieja is a biopic of Jan Zieja, known for his bravery and charismatic leadership in both world wars, chaplain of the Gray Ranks and co-founder of the Workers' Defense Committee. The shoot for the film took place in the spring of 2019, with the crew working on location in Lublin and other cities. The cast includes Mateusz Więcławek, Tadeusz Bradecki, Jakub Wieczorek and Lesław Żurek.

    "He was an extremely charismatic man, but also a priest with a very strong sense of his rights and his thoughts, which he wanted to apply at all costs. This often caused problems in his life. And this is what the film talks about," Gliński told FNE. "Lublin has been a very popular location recently. It is sort of a small Hollywood, because scenes from different periods and different cities are constantly being created here. One of the streets will turn into a Roman road for our production," he added. 

    The film is based on a script by Wojciech Lepianka. The DoP is Witold Płóciennik. The film was produced by Włodzimierz Niderhaus, who died in May 2020, through WFDiF in coproduction with TVP, with a budget of 6 m PLN / 1.4 m EUR. The film received financial support from the Polish Film Institute. The film premiered in August.

    Production information:

    WFDiF (Documentary and Feature Film Studios)
    TVP

    Supported by the Polish Film Institute

    Credits:
    Director: Robert Gliński
    Screenwriter:  Wojciech Lepianka
    DoP: Witold Płóciennik
    Producer: Włodzimierz Niderhaus
    Cast:  Andrzej Seweryn, Mateusz Więcławek, Tadeusz Bradecki, Jakub Wieczorek, Lesław Żurek